Abstract
Lesotho is a mountainous country which is landlocked by South Africa, an economic power of the region. A migrant labour to South African mines had been a major source of income from early 20th century. Settlement in the mountains, which occupy the eastern half of the country, started from 1890s. Since then, migrant labour was an important livelihood for rural society of mountains. A livelihood form supported by remittance economies lasted until 1980s, when an apartheid policy was abolished in South Africa. The rural livelihood of Lesotho thus experiences a great change deriving from a political economic change of the neighbour.
